1. Technical Field
The disclosure contained herein relates to vehicle body hinges and vehicle bodies having hinged compartments.
2. Description of the Related Art
Most vehicles, including cars, trucks, vans and other vehicles, include enclosures with openings that are covered by one or more doors. The doors may be pivotably opened and closed on a hinge that mounts the door to the vehicle body.
For example, referring to FIG. 1, a truck 12 may have a body 14 that contains one or more doors 16, 18 and 20. Each door may contain a handle, recess or other means 17, 19 and 21 by which a person may grasp the door and swing it open. As illustrated in FIG. 1, doors may open in various directions. For example, door 16 contains a handle 17 that is located on the right side of the door, suggesting that the door swings open along a hinge positioned at the left side of the door when viewed from the perspective of FIG. 1. Similarly, door 18 has a handle 19 located at an upper area of the door, suggesting that the door swings downward around a hinge positioned at the bottom of the door. Door 20 has a handle 21 located to the left of the door, indicating that the door swings open along the hinge positioned at the right side of the door.
Currently, there are three primary types of hinges used to mount truck body access doors and other vehicle doors to a truck or a vehicle body. One type is a surface mount hinge that is mounted on the exterior of the vehicle body. Such a hinge includes a bracket that connects to the body exterior, a bracket that the connects to the door exterior, and an interlocking member that is secured by a hinge pin or rod. The rod spins within the interlocking members, or the interlocking members move around the rod, as the door is opened and closed. Surface mount hinges are prone to rust and damage, as they are exposed to the elements and sources of impact. In addition, they are often aesthetically undesirable, as they break up what may otherwise be a smooth vehicle surface body.
A second style of body hinge is known as a piano-type hinge. A piano-type hinge is similar to a surface mount hinge, except that it is mounted on the inside of the truck body and the inside of the door. However, the interlocking members and hinge pin of a piano-type hinge protrude from the door/opening interface. Thus, a piano-type hinge is also exposed to elements and impact sources.
A third style of hinge overcomes the problem of exposing the hinge to the elements and impact sources by being mounted inside the body and attached to the interior of the door in a “car door style” or “wrecker style” arrangement. Although car door style hinges are mounted inside the body, they significantly reduce storage compartment space and accessibility, as they require that a recess be built into the body to accept a portion of the door as it is opened. Such hinges also require a large seal and mounting area to be located around the door frame, and they thus limit accessibility to the vehicle compartment.
Therefore, a need exists for an improved hinge assembly for doors on truck bodies and other vehicles. The embodiments described below are directed to solving one or more of the problems described above.